


Sleeping problems

by tiffanytheweirdo



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Insomnia (mentioned), Literal Sleeping Together, Pre-Relationship, so soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:35:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26305702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiffanytheweirdo/pseuds/tiffanytheweirdo
Summary: Nick and Ellie were both suffering from sleeping problems for so long, but they seemed to have found their cure.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 12
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts: “Sleeping with you was the best sleep I’ve gotten in years.”  
> Requested by @enchantedbooklover18
> 
> There's a part two coming for the prompt “You sleep with the stuffed animal I got you?” “Of course”  
> Stay tuned!!

Ellie had been having sleeping problems for as long as she remembered, her analytical being hard to shut down most of the time.

When she was married to Jake, he never bothered to stay up with Ellie when she couldn't sleep. He would just mumble something incoherently when she extracted herself out of his arms, never trying to ask what's wrong.

Ellie had developed a routine for her sleepless nights over the years, sipping chamomile tea with a poetry book on her lap, she would curl up on her couch with her favourite throw blanket which she hid in her closet. This combo would help her calm her mind and if she's lucky, she might even get a few hours of sleep.

Nick was no stranger to insomnia. First with worrying about Lucia when she's deployed, then with losing his mother, and with the times that he was in deep cover, there wasn't much chances for him to get decent sleep. His body had already gotten used to working under minimum amount of sleep, and he also had his own way to unwind and relax. An old black and white movie, his well-worn college sweater and a pillow on his chest to ground him; these things would put him at ease even though sleep might not come.

====

But when Nick and Ellie met, when they had grown closer and started to spend more time together, especially those nights after tough cases where neither of them wanted to be along, their sleeping problems seemed to have vanished.

Both agents were oblivious to the situation at first. At least not until that time Nick was assigned to board a naval patrol boat with Gibbs for a case.

The first night Nick was on the naval vessel, he couldn't sleep. The restlessness was familiar yet foreign to him as he was sleeping surprisingly fine the past few months.

This was when Nick realized, his insomnia had subsided. He spent the night, and the next, pondering about how this happened, what changed.

Ellie tossed and turned in her bed, she couldn't sleep. Sitting up defeated, she decided to settle back to her old routine for sleepless nights like this; only to find she had ran out of chamomile tea in her apartment.

This made her freeze in the middle of her kitchen, as she always made sure she had stock her cabinet with chamomile tea. Standing there with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders, Ellie realized that she hadn't needed it for the past few months. But why?

====

Luckily, the case was wrapped up fast and Nick didn't need to spend a third sleepless night on that uncomfortable cot in his shared quarters with Gibbs. When they got off the boat, Gibbs sent him home directly, given it's already past 9pm on a Friday night, ordering him to get some rest.

Nick muttered a "thanks boss" and accepted the the ride offered by the naval base gratefully.

He was mindlessly scrolling through his phone when a text from Ellie came in. A soft smile made its way onto Nick's face without him knowing.

From Ellie B.: Heard you got back on solid ground.

To Ellie B.: Yeah, omw home

From Ellie B.: Up for a movie night? We're only on call for tmr

To Ellie B.: Sure, lemme get home and grab a shower then I'll be over.

From Ellie B.: K I'll have things set up :))

Ellie smiled to herself when she got the reply from Nick saying he'd be over. She had to admit that she missed Nick the past few days.

Knowing that he would probably be tired, Ellie went through her DVD collection and picked out a classic black and white movie after starting the kettle for making tea. She also laid out her throw blanket and dimmed the lights to a soft glow.

She wanted to make it as comfy as possible for Nick to unwind.

Nick knocked on Ellie's door around half an hour later, gently nudging the door open after hearing Ellie softly saying "it's open".

All the tension in Nick's body had left him the moment he stepped into the apartment. It felt warm and cozy, and the sight of Ellie standing in the middle of the living room with two mugs of tea in hand smiling at him softly just melted his heart.

"Hey Nick" Ellie greeted softly, "Come on, I made tea"

Nick took his jacket off and walked towards Ellie's couch, a soft tired smile on his face.

"Missed me?" Nick asked cockily, gratefully taking the mug from Ellie's hand as he sat down on the couch.

"Yeah yeah, so much that I couldn't sleep" Ellie rolled her eyes a little and answered halfheartedly, sitting down beside Nick.

What the two didn't expect was the joke carrying so much truth. They both froze in their place, didn't see this coming and hitting right in their hearts.

"So... couldn't sleep huh?" Nick asked gingerly after a while, being the first one to recover from the shock.

"Yeah, just some old problem that's it" Ellie tried to brush it off, wanting to end this foreign awkwardness between them.

What she didn't see coming, again, was Nick confessing he had the same problem too.

"I couldn't sleep on the ship too" Nick started, moving a hand to grasp Ellie's gently, putting their tea down.

Something tugged Nick's heart when he heard that Ellie wasn't sleeping; and now looking at Ellie with soft eyes, Nick could see the tiredness in her eyes.

Ellie blushed at Nick's warm hand holding hers and started, "Nick..." But she didn't know what to say.

"But being in here with you had made me feel the most relaxed in the past few days. Actually, being with you, Ellie, had made me feel more relaxed than ever. Every time after spending the night with you, I always got good night's sleeps"

Nick's soft confession had Ellie's heart beating fast. She moved closer to Nick, half-snuggled into his side and looked down at their joint hands. She let out a breath, ready to make her own confession.

"I didn't realize my sleeping problems had gone away until the past few days without you Nick. I didn't even need to restock my chamomile tea for so long that I didn't have any for the first night you're away" Ellie looked up and into Nick's eyes, "I think you cured my sleeping problems Nick"

"I think so too" Nick had inched closer to Ellie and now his free hand was cradling her face, thumb gently stroking her cheekbone.

Ellie blushed even more and caught Nick's eyes flickering down to her lips. Feeling brave,, she leaned in a bit towards Nick, lips parting at the anticipation.

Nick caught the hint and leaned in too, meeting Ellie's lips half-way.

Later that night, the pair dozed off during the movie cuddled up together on the couch and wrapped up in Ellie's blanket.

====

Nick was woken up by sunlight streaming through the window onto his face. Sighing contentedly, he opened his eyes only to see Ellie still sleeping soundly, head pillowed on his chest.

"Gosh I love you" Nick said under his breath and dropped a kiss onto the top of Ellie's head

"You do?" Ellie mumbled softly into Nick's chest, hiding her blushing face.

Nick was caught off guard for a second, not noticing that Ellie was awake.

The slight silence from Nick had worried Ellie and she looked up from his chest carefully, only to find Nick looking at her with completely love-struck eyes.

"I do, Ellie bishop, I love you"

"I love you too"

Nick smiled oh-so-charmingly at Ellie and leaned down to kiss her on her lips.

When they pulled apart from the kiss, Nick pressed his forehead to Ellie's, and the two spent their whole morning staying like that, exchanging soft whispers and gentle kisses.

"Ellie"

"Hmm?"

_"Sleeping with you was the best sleep I've got in years"_

"Me too Nick, me too"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompts: “You sleep with the stuffed animal I got you?” “Of course”  
> Requested by @enchantedbooklover18

Soon after Ellie and Nick got together, they decided to move in together, for their sleep's sake and well, they just couldn't be away from each other for long.

Most of the nights were good, they both could sleep soundly wrapped up in each other's embrace. But when there were bad nights, they would help each other.

Nick would gently tug Ellie out of bed after finding her tossing and turning in bed, wrapping her up with the blanket and kissing her forehead, "Go wait on the couch, I'll make tea."

Ellie would dug out Nick's sweater from the closet after finding him staring at the ceiling with glassy eyes, getting her laptop to pull a movie up and kissing his cheek, "Get changed, then we can watch a movie and cuddle."

====

Ellie was nervous when she knew Nick was assigned with a solo undercover mission. She trusted Nick, and knew he's totally capable of taking care of himself.

What she's worrying about was needing to be apart from Nick for at least three days. They had been rather inseparable since they got together, and she didn't want to go back to sleeping or dealing with her sleepless nights alone.

Nick looked up from his phone to look at Ellie and sighed. Something's up with his girlfriend and she's not telling him what's wrong. At least not yet.

But Nick had a basic idea of what might be bothering Ellie, making her furrow her brows while reading. She's been quiet since they finished dinner and Nick was trying to give her the space she needed before coming to him.

He shifted closer to Ellie and tucked her into his side, dropping a kiss on her temple as he wrapped them up in a soft blanket. Ellie settled into Nick's embrace and sighed with contentment, the frown on her face relaxing.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" Nick started softly, hoping to prompt Ellie to open up.

"I know..." Ellie bookmarked her book and closed it, hands now fidgeting on her lap, "It's just... I don't want you to go on the mission" The last part came out as a whisper as Ellie bowed her head in embarrassment.

"Baby, are you nervous about being alone at nights?" Nick asked suggestively, holding Ellie closer to him.

Ellie blushed harder, turning to hide her face into Nick's shoulder, confirming his thoughts.

"It's just a few days El, I'll be back quick"

"But still..." Ellie closed her eyes tiredly, suddenly feeling drained.

"Come on, let's go to bed. I'm not going until Monday"

====

The next morning, Nick sneaked out of bed before Ellie woke up, leaving her a note saying that he's gonna go get them breakfast from the diner.

But that's only a part of his "mission". Nick took a detour to get something else.

Walking into the toy store, Nick was grateful that it's almost empty due to the early hours. He went straight to the stuffed animal section and felt a surge of childishness flowing through his body. Walking around, Nick kept an eyes out for something that could remind him of Ellie and vice versa.

Then he spotted them, on the top shelf, a wolf and an owl was placed together.

Nick looked up, couldn't help but link the two stuffed animals to the image of Ellie and him cuddling.

The owl looked like Ellie, brown eyes and light brown fur, reminding Nick of Ellie's dirty blonde hair. And Ellie's smart like a owl, wise and analytical.

The wold looked like himself, dark furs with determined eyes, stance protective beside the owl.

Reaching up to grab the two toys, Nick smiled to himself and headed to check out.

When Nick got home, Ellie was still sleeping, which was rare. But Nick let her sleep in and went on to hide his surprise for Ellie in the closet.

After plating their breakfast he brought back, Nick put the food on a tray, decided to treat Ellie with a breakfast in bed.

"Wakey wakey sleepy head" Nick bent down to kiss Ellie on her forehead after placing the tray down on the bedside table.

Ellie stirred and slowly opened her eyes, "Nick?"

"Hey baby" Nick smiled at her warmly, and wondered how she's so beautiful being just woken up, "Got you breakfast"

"Hmm so good to me" Ellie mumbled with sleep still evident in her voice, looking up at Nick with sleepy heart-eyes.

"Of course baby" Nick leaned down to kiss Ellie on her lips this time, "Good morning"

"Morning my love"

The two cuddled up in bed and shared the food, enjoying a sweet time with each other.

"I got something for you Ellie" Nick spoke up after they cleared away the finished breakfast.

"Oh? Wait, did I miss something? It's not our anniversary yet..." Ellie looked at Nick confused, eyes a bit skeptical.

"No babe, you miss nothing. I just wanna treat you" Nick kisses Ellie's lips quickly, "Lemme go get it"

When Nick reappeared from their closet with two stuffies in hand, Ellie's heart swelled with cuteness and love. The smile on her face was so bright that Nick thought his whole world was glowing.

"What is this Nick?" Ellie asked, unaware that she had reached out her hands for the fluffy animals in Nick's arms.

Nick passed her the wolf, cradling the owl in his arm.

"This is us Ellie" Nick said softly.

Ellie looked up from the wolf to lock eyes with Nick, "Us?"

"Mhm, the wolf is me; the owl is you"

Ellie took a moment to look back and forth between the two dolls in hers and Nick's arms, and she could see the resemblance between them and the dolls.

"Nick..." Ellie was touched, her brilliant brain already made connection and had figured out Nick's motive: he got them the stuffed animals to ease her insecurities.

"Wolfy here will take my place while I'm on the mission and I'll have the owl with me as you" Nick paused, a faint blush on his cheeks, "I know it's a bit childish, but-"

Nick was cut short by Ellie's lips on his, their stuffed counterparts sandwiched between their chests.

"I love it Nick, thank you"

"You're welcome baby"

====

The first night that Nick was gone, Ellie had a hard time falling asleep. She expected it, but the loneliness was still real.

Ellie held the wold tight to her chest, burying her nose in its fur inhaling a familiar scent. She might have sprayed some of Nick's woody-scented cologne onto it before he left.

Sighing tiredly, Ellie closed her eyes and let Nick's scent surround her as she slowly succumbed to sleep.

Nick sat on his hotel bed with his back against the headboard, hand stroking the soft fur of the owl absentmindedly.

He wondered if Ellie's sleeping soundly, if she's cuddling the wolf he got her.

It's hard for him too, to fall asleep without Ellie's smaller body pressed against his.

He fell asleep with Ellie on his mind, hoping the wolf could help her feel safe sleeping alone.

Nick was able to go home on day 4, having successfully accomplished the mission.

It's 4 in the morning when Nick opened the door to his shared apartment with Ellie. He let out a breath and breathed in the familiar feeling, the feeling of home.

Discarding his jacket and backpack by the door, he toed off his boots and padded towards the bedroom quietly.

Gently nudging the door open, it revealed to Nick his girlfriend's sleeping form on their king-sized bed, blanket wrapped loosely around her.

Nick leaned against the door frame and took in the sight before him, his smile gotten bigger as she spotted Ellie hugging the stuffed wolf close to her chest.

Changing out of his clothes, Nick carefully climbed into the bed, only in his boxers, and slipped behind Ellie to spoon her.

Ellie mumbled something incoherently and snuggled back into Nick without waking up as if she knew it's him.

"Sleep tight Ellie, I'm home"

When Ellie woke up the next morning, she was confused that a warm body was wrapped around her from behind. Turning her head slightly, she was met wit the sleeping face of her boyfriend, the one she's been missing a lot the past few days.

"Nick?" Ellie whispered her lover's name softly, feeling surreal to have him back.

Nick stirred awake at Ellie's soft voice. Loosening his hold on Ellie, he helped her turn around in his arms so that they were laying face to face.

"Hi baby" Nick raised his hand to gently brush a strand of Ellie's blonde locks out of her eyes.

"Hey" Ellie smiled softly, "Missed you"

"Me too baby" Nick kissed Ellie's softly on her forehead, before continuing, _"So... You sleep with the stuffed animal I got you?"_

Ellie blushed at the question, unconsciously hugging the wolf closer to her front, _"Of course,"_ she admitted with a 

"And did he help protect you while I was gone?" Nick teased, hand stroking Ellie's hair.

"Mhmm" Ellie's eyes fluttered close at Nick's gentle gesture.

"Sleep some more baby, I'm back now"

"Okay, love you Nick"  
"Love you too El"


End file.
